Cut-Belly Eggplants

Servings: 6

Preparation:
Wash the vegetables, cut off the stalks of the eggplants and peel them in ribbon fashion. Warm the oil in a non-stick pan, put in the eggplants and cover. Turn the eggplants occasionally and cook for about 15 minutes to soften them. Arrange them on an oven tray and cut their bellies taking care not to split the ends and make hollows with the back of a spoon. Peel the onions, wash and chop finely. Place the onions and the minced meat into the pan where you have softened the egg plants and stir, cover and let them to simmer on low heat for about 8 - 10 minutes, until the meat juices are reduced, stirring occasionally. Set aside one tomato and two peppers. Chop the rest into very small pieces and add to the minced meat mixture and cook for another 5 minutes. Peel the garlic and separate the parsley leaves. Finely chop the garlic and the parsley and add to the hot mix. Add salt and pepper and stir. Fill the hollows made in the eggplants with this mixture. Cut the spared tomato into six circular slices and cut the green peppers length-wise into three slices. Place these on the eggplants. Add the water slowly from the edges of the dish. Bake it covered for 20 minutes at medium heat, and remove the lid and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes.

Nutritional Value: (in approximately one serving)
Energy 218 cal, Protein 11.1 g, Fat 13.8 g, Carbohydrate 14.5 g, Calcium 46 mg, Fe 2.95 mg, Phosphorus 151 mg, Zinc 2 mg, Sodium 793 mg, Vitamin A 897 iu, Thiamine 0.17 mg, Riboflavin 0.19 mg, Niacin 4.08 mg, Vitamin C 18 mg, Cholesterol 38 mg.

Notes: Karniyarik is a dish cooked quite often particularly during the summer months in all regions. It is served at either lunch or dinner as the main dish. Rice is the appropriate second dish. When an oven is not available it can be cooked on the grill, with the lid on.